In Other News…

Wednesday July 14, 2010 could be the most important day in Golden State Warriors’ history since May 25, 1975 — the night the franchise completed its sweep of the Washington Bullets for the NBA championship. With nothing yet confirmed regarding Chris Cohan’s departure, it’s too early to start the official liberation celebration. But it’s not too early to dream.

I have no inside sources regarding the Warriors’ sale. I haven’t seen any secret signs from Chris Cohan or Larry Ellison that the handoff is upon us. I don’t have anything particularly insightful to add regarding the hows and whens and whats of the expected transaction. But I do know this: the end of the Cohan era is an event of such importance that it’s hard for me to fully imagine what life will be like after it.

16 years of abusive ownership is a long time. 50% percentage of marriages end before the 15th anniversary. You could have crammed an entire K-12 education within the term of Cohan’s tenure. It’s more than enough time to warp perception, dull the senses, and brutally lower expectations. I was a Warriors fan before Cohan, but those days have been buried under so much frustration and futility that they resonate as much now as ancient history. What comes next is an unknown — one that we’ll have plenty of time to break down in excruciating detail and endless speculation as the slow months of the summer roll by. But all of that analysis can wait until after the official announcement, when we actually have some facts with which to work. We have no idea how good the future actually will be, but I’m positive it won’t be any worse.

Advertisement

For now, we should sit back and enjoy the giddy buzz of a Christmas Eve nearly two decades in the making, the electric expectation before unwrapping a gift you never thought would arrive, this seemingly limitless sense of hope and possibility. Chris Cohan is almost gone.

Adam Lauridsen

Post navigation

this is from 2007 — richest owners in sports — but it suggests to me that how rich the owner is has almost no correlation with winning — and the only reason steinbrenner was even on this list is that he made his money after buying the Yankees

“Tony M (#342) you don’t get it: it’s not just that billionaires spend money on the players, but on the entire organization, like executive management, scouting, training facilities, standards of travel, and the like. They don’t do things on the cheap.”

Well said. I also add with money a rich owner can get better doctors(Ws bigs always take long time to cure), more coaches(big man coach, free throw shooting) etc..

That said Peter Guber once I believe paid $5 mils to Rolling Stone to perform at this birthday, so may be he will spend money to entertain.

The Oracle

Personally I’m disappointed that Ellison didn’t buy the team. He has shown a willingness to pour money into winning. He has more money/resources to do this.

I could see Ellison paying the luxury tax every year to create a winning team and not worrying that much about whether the team was making money in the short run.

These new owners might be more like investors, worrying about their ROI and how to pay off their loans and maximize the return on their investment. There is no certaintity they will be better than Cohan or spend as needed to win.

believewhat

JanG,

I just read your posts on AB and his FT%. I am with Mully that he takes 2-4FTs and misses 3FTs should not affect the outcome of the game. I also don’t think teams will intentionally foul him in the first three quarters. It is 4th qtr that AB is a coach’s nightmare and Ws end up playing without a C. RT used to fill in for AB at the end of the game, but with RT gone and Udoh injured, I am afraid David Lee and BWright will finish the game.

Here is my wish list from new owner hopefully he brings in his wallet.

* Get a reputable GM(woudl Danny Ainge or Jerry West come to Ws if paid 10 mils a year, should be explored)
* Get a new coach, a younger one(Wouldn’t Doc River come to coach Ws if paid 15 mils, just saying)

Rest will follow through, all an owner has to do is hire a good GM, coach and in general good staff and monitor their performance like Riley, Nellie and Bobby should have been fired 2 years back.

high dribble dribble

Oracle says:

“There is no certainty they will be better than Cohan”

what planet am I on? — nothing is certain

you want Cohan back? — look at my list #349 — rich does not equal winning — check out the Knicks; competence = winning and starting in 2011/2012 money will be even less important

Tony M.

Kitty Kat you don’t get it. There are plenty of billionaire owners who operate on the cheap and there are plenty of multi-millionaire owners who run first class organizations. It has nothing to do with how much money someone has. It has everything to do with business philosophy, decision making and dedication to winning.

You’re telling me James Dolan is a great owner simply because he has a billion dollars? Gimme a break. Travel expenses? Scouting? Do you really think those things are going to break the bank after they paid $450 million for the franchise? Operating expenses are minimal compared to the cost of the roster.

You know nothing of what these guys plan and philosophy is, just like we no nothing of how Ellison was going to run the organization. What we do know is that Lacob is coming from a first class organization that went from a loser to a two-time NBA finalist in the past 3 years. He also saw a nice increase in his investment after they won their first title, so he realizes that winning, more than anything else, makes you money.

http://GoldenStateWarriorsStateofmind Frank

I would not fret that the new owners are not as rick as Larry Ellison. To purchase a team for $450 million means you have plenty of money and are not acting a show-string. The real question is whether they will or will not go over the cap and pay a luxury tax for players. If they do, they are better owners then Cohan, if not, there has been no real change.

We can debate whether the new owner should change the general manager. I wish to see what other moves Riley makes before reaching a decision on that.

It seems that half of Warrior fans want to see Nelson replaced. But even though who want to see him gone want to know that we will be replacing him with an excellent.

I think Nelson is an outstanding coach and enjoy watching his brand of ball. He has been successful rebuilding teams everywhere he went.

Regardless of his merits, who do you want to see eventually replace
Nelson? In my opinion there are not many excellent coaches in the NBA nor the college ranks. I’m more fearful of who his replacement would be then I am of Nelson coaching.

I’m starting to have real reservations about the Maggete trade. Not only because we got virtually nothing in return, but the fact that we would be stronger at the SF position if he was still on the team.

The deciding factor on the eficacy of the trade is depends on what Riley does this year.

If Riley trades the expiring contracts of either Radmanovic or Gadzuric for a good player or players this year then the trade makes sense.

If these players are not involved in a trade this and Riley decides to wait until next year when Gadzuric and Radmanovic combined salary of almost $14 million comes off the books next year I don’t think such a wise decision because we will likely re-sign R.Williams and B. Wright.

And I suspect that alhough the new owner will want to make a splash next year and be willing to pay the luxury tax, there will be fewer quality free agents available next year and we would have to compete with other teams to sign.

So the Magette trade in my mind is not worthwhile unless Riley uses to the expiring contracts to obtain good players this year.

He surely needs to get a better back up for Biedrens, with Udoh out til Jan,2010, then Gadzuric. And obtain another SF other then D. Wright, as well as a big defensive guard. We will see how well Riley has plannned beyond his initial moves.

The Morrow trade is also troubling given that he is one of the best three point shooter in the NBA.

If I remember correctly, Nelson has a contract to be a consultant to the Warriors after his coaching stint ends. Is that right? While some of you detest Nelson, I think he is a excellent basketball mind, does have vision, and would like to see him remain a consultant.

I had trouble with Nelson early on when he did play either B. Wright or Randolph much, but then realized, after seeing them on the court, that B. Wright initially did not know what do on defense,and Randolph was initially out of control. Randolph earned his way back on to the court when Nelson started having him play center which he did extremely well.

Valr

True to his nature till the very end, Cohan milked this cow like no one ever thought was possible.

Lacob and DN both with Celtics ties… at the very least DN stays to coach for this season but also maybe? a consultant role later… yuck!

Problem with somebody not quite Ellison-level rich overpaying for a franchise is they will want to recover their investment asap. I hope this is not Cohan redux. Please basketball Gods let me be wrong

The Oracle

The point is we know from the racing that Ellison is dedicated to winning, and willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to do it.

Ellison would be one of the richest owners in the league, and no doubt absolutely dedicated to winning.

There is a continuim with winning on one end and making money on the other for most owners.

We want an owner who falls heavily on the winning end of that line, not in the middle, and certainly not in Cohan “money first” territory.

In Ellison I am confident we have an owner that values winning much more than making money off the team.

With the new owners we will have to wait and see.

The Oracle

New owners same as the old owner?

Same as it ever was.

I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, but if you start hearing them talk about their “investment” and the value of the franchise and how they are going to repay their loans and ticket prices and a great time out, and little about winning, then we’ll have our answer pretty quick.

I’ve already heard they tend to keep the current FO. Money saving move?

Is it money, or is it winning? Or is it somewhere in between.

I am confident I know ellison’s answer to that question. It’s winning by a mile. He doesn’t need the franchise to make money. He has Oracle to do that. I don’t know the new owners answer, but it’s likely not anywhere near to the passion and dedication and willingness to spend that I believe Ellison would have brought to this team.

believewhat

From Matt’s article.

”
Now, take a look at the hierarchy of the Mandalay Group, and you’ll see an interesting name near the top: Jon Spoelstra, vice chairman of marketing for baseball properties.

That would be Erik Spoelstra’s father.

Read more: Spoelstra Likely on Warriors’ Short List for Coaches
Tune to SportsNet Central at 6, 10:30 and midnight on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area for more on this story
“

The Oracle

high dribble.
Rich doesn’t equal winnning.

As Vince Lombardi said, it’s the will to win that is important.

Some owners want to win, and can afford to lose money to do it.
Some owners want to make money, like Cohan, and will sacrifice winning to do it.
Most owners are somewhere in the middle, wanting to win but also wanting to make money or not lose too much.

The opportunity missed was to have an owner that didn’t need the franchise to make money, who was rich enough, and had enough income from other places, to not really care that much if the team made money or not, as long as it was winning and competing for a championship. I honestly believe Ellison would have been that type of owner, a guy that would easily pay the lux tax, every year, year in and year out, in order to create a winning team. The team losing 20 or 30m a year to put a winner on the court. Not such a big a deal to one of the richest men in the world. If you’ve watched Ellison, more than anything else he has the will to win. Money is secondary to him.

That’s the kind of ownership I want, and the kind of ownership these great fans deserve.

While we hope no ownership could possibly be as bad as Cohan’s, the new ownership will likely not be as good as Ellison’s ownership. It’s a mixed bag.

believewhat

Wonder who that team is that is supposedly moving to Vegas ?? Some team is already under contract with this group to move to Vegas. I am 99% sure, it is not Warriors.

————————————————————————-

Report: Investors Have Deal With Team To Play In Vegas

Jul 15, 2010 11:30 AM EST
An investment group wants to bring an NBA team to Las Vegas.

The group, International Development Management LLC, said it’s close to purchasing an NBA team to play in its proposed arena.

The “deal” has a lot of loopholes to clear. The investment group must first strike a deal with the county to fund construction of its proposed arena.

Chris Milam, CEO of International, told the Las Vegas Sun the group has a team “under contract.”

“Although I was the highest bidder, Chris Cohan decided to sell to someone else. In my experience this is a bit unusual. Nonetheless, I wish the Warriors and their fans nothing but success under their new ownership,” said Larry Ellison.

“I am incredibly excited to have the opportunity to be the next steward of this storied NBA franchise. This is my dream come true,” said Joe Lacob, managing partner with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. “Peter and I intend to do what we do best– innovating and building. It is our passion to return the Warriors to greatness and build nothing short of a championship organization that will make all of us in the Bay Area proud.”

Lacob’s interest and experience in sports goes back two decades. In the 1990’s, he was the earliest institutional investor and helped build Sportsline, one of the pioneers in sports on the internet. Most recently, as part of the new Boston Celtics ownership group led by Wyc Grousbeck, Lacob earned a championship ring in 2008 when the Celtics won their 17th NBA title. In his position, Lacob served on the Celtic’s basketball committee that led their late decade turnaround. Lacob also was a primary investor and pioneer of women’s professional basketball, known as the American Basketball League (ABL). Lacob has been involved with Stanford basketball for over 25 years and is a fixture in his courtside seats at Maples Pavilion.

He is also very involved at Stanford University, serving on advisory boards at the Medical Center, Business School and Athletic Department.

Most importantly for Warrior’s fans, Lacob has supported his local franchise the last decade by being a season ticket holder.

Tony M.

The more I hear about this Joe Lacob, the more I like him. He’s got a huge passion for basketball. He enjoys winning. He’s willing to take risks with his investments (women’s basketball anyone?). He’s a loyal bay area sports fan and resident. And he’s been a warrior season ticket holder for 10 years. What’s not to like?

meir34

The source of this Ellison was the highest bidder but rejected story is Marketwire. Am looking, unsuccessfully for a confirmation. Who in the hell are they? Like the other flash by a business wire that the deal was done and an announcement of Ellison as the winner would happen Tuesday at 6? And if true, what kind of offer was it? Straight cash? Remember an offer may be higher in total amount but be stretched over some time, or have conditional clauses, etc. We don’t know enough yet. Or about the agenda of Lacob and Guber. Lacob is local and a sports fan. That’s good. But real estate development could be part of the agenda as well and that might not mean immediate eforts to spend to improve the team. Simply not enough to appraise it yet.

According to my producer friend, he worked with Guber when he was at Columbia, a company Guber later took over. I’ve heard (specifically but here I won’t mention names) of a director who said Guber was hard to work with. It was noted to me that no one makes it as high in Hollywood as Guber has without having guys who hate you and some who love you. My friend said for his part he got along with Guber and liked him. He was described as a “fast talker”-he thought he had a Harvard background but I can’t find confirmation of that, though I’ve not looked hard with so much else on the table. Guber’s big moneymaker that sent him reeling skyward was Batman I. He went on to Loew’s, Sony and now President of Mandalay. One of the Mandalay companies, my friend thought, had several minor league teams. But he’s not much of a sports fan-except for (BOO) the LA Dodgers (he moved here from LA). Guber I learned wasn’t on the Jewish Federation Board, like most big Jewish Philanthropists but he is charitable so probably gave to Jewish organizations as well–this in response to my specific question on that, and my source was a key figure in Jewish Charities for several decades and his wife, even before he married her (second marriages for both) had also been big in those circles so they are right on top of this kind of information.

That’s all I have so far on Guber.

Lacob is much more of a mystery. I’m still working on him beyond the superficial stuff of three schools ending with the Standford MBA and his Investment firm, Kleiner Perkins. He says he’s a big fan. Had a minority stake in the Celtics, no doubt he’ll have to give that up. My guess is that he’s strictly the front guy on this deal, but definitely a partner.

Steinmetz reports that Spoelstra’s father is in the buying group. He’s Vice-Chairman of marketing for baseball properties. (the minor league clubs they own). Obviously Mandalay Entertainment wants to be in the sports entertainment market. Who knows maybe a TV outlet next.

Someone wrote of Guber and Vegas. I’ll double check that but to the best of my knowledge he’s an LA guy. I’ll try and find out if he has any SF area homes. Though the obvious investment possibilities in Vegas are known to all. I’m opposed, btw, to a Vegas NBA team. Bought Referees, Tanks for higher draft picks or bets, I can see a myriad of problems if that happened.

Putting his 2 and 2 together, with rumors of Riley wanting to come back to coaching, Steinmetz thinks he sees Spoelstra (Miami’s Coach) as a possible coach.

Maybe, but not off the surface alone. Too hands on. You put your son in such a position and what if he doesn’t do well? Are you keeping him out of nepotism? So I don’t see it any more than I saw MJD going to his father’s Clippers team when those rumors were floating. The father had a role in the Portland franchise and the son wasn’t made manager there. This is all guesswork. But i don’t see it, likely ever, but certainly not for this coming year, I’d strongly suspect.

Dunleavy Sr. might be another story and if we get him you guys might start pining for Nellie. Mark my words.

Anyway, TK and the lot who said it was an Ellison deal all the way. And Steinmetz who said it he’d be shocked if it wasn’t Ellison both showed that they just bull shit their stuff with guesses and play like their guesses are inside information. Especially Tim. Guys at the level of Ellison and Guber don’t leak to low level beat writers while in the middle of negotiating.

Anyway the Queen is Dead, Long live the King. And, by the way, who in the hell IS the King? And what is his real agenda in buying the franchise?

Tarheel Warrior

Agree with Oracle…Ellison would have had us winning very quickly; these new guys, who knows? But we’re dubs fans, eternally optimistic.

JanG…feel free to ignore facts (are you a Republican?), but AB is NOT the worst FT shooter in league.

playoffbound

This new group sounds like Cohan Part Deuce… Here’s hoping that they are more competent than the last ownership and will not let talent get away like the last group…. I also hope that this group will not be afraid to get and pay for talent. Fingers crossed…

…scotch

Just a rumor at this point, but let me be the first to say no to Spoelestra…boring basketball!

No grandiose statements except they’re fans & think they know what it takes to win…I would hope so?

Richard

Tony M #322, if Riley didn’t “blow his load,” as you put it, we would not have gotten anyone this year. By the time this deal is finalized, the only free agents left will be Anthony Tolliver and Chris Hunter. Larry Riley, whether he still is employed with the Warriors a few months from now or not, is the biggest star of the Warriors 2010-11 season.

Oracle #350, you say that Ellison “has shown a willingness to pour money into winning.” At least as it relates to his first real test in the NBA, he wasn’t willing to pour enough money into winning even the first round.

You guys who talk about owners making day-to-day decisions for money (someone referred to Cohan putting $4 million in his pocket by letting Morrow go) do not have the slightest clue of how these owners think. Most of them are multi-billionaires who are purchasing the ultimate toy – a major sports franchise. Most of the time during their ownership, they lose money year after year. It is one big game to see how well they can do on the court, the field or the diamond. Some are good at it; some are not. The owner’s pay day comes when they sell the franchise. Cohan had the third worst record in the NBA during his tenure; and yet he sold the Warriors for a record-breaking $460 million for a team for which he paid $119 million.

People talk about Ellison being willing to pay the luxury tax; as the sixth richest man in the world, he wasn’t even willing to outbid Lacob and Guber. The future of the Warriors will not include Larry Ellison, Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf, Corey Maggette, Kelenna Azubuike, or Anthony Morrow. Get over them. Move on.

It is time to get back on the court with Curry, Ellis, D. Wright, Lee, Biedrins and Wiliams. This is a strong nucleus that can make the playoffs this year. Go Warriors.